That’s the way the cookie crumbles!

Have you ever opened a box of crackers and found half of them broken? Apparently it’s not simply because they have been roughly handled or dropped in the grocery store. A British PhD student has found the real culprit: it’s all in the way the crackers cool down after they’re taken out of the oven.

Each year cracker makers around the world throw out tonnes of broken crackers (or biscuits, as they are known in Britain). Research suggests that controlling the heat and humidity in rooms where crackers are cooled could prevent stresses building up in the crackers. This would mean less waste and less broken crackers in the box. With some science and lateral thinking, life doesn’t always have to be the way the cookie crumbles.

Amazing Laser

Has it ever occurred to you that every time you listen to a CD or point with a laser pointer, you are holding the discovery of a Nobel Prize Laureate in Physics in your hand? What is a laser? What are some applications? Where do we use lasers in everyday life?
Read some Laser Facts.
Play the Laser Challenge Game.

Do heavier objects fall faster than lighter ones?

You will need some equipment to do this experiment:

* two objects of similar size, but different mass
* a ladder, step stool or something to drop your objects from like a balcony
* a hammer
* a feather

Try the experiment. Galileo Galilei explored these ideas, and the story goes that he dropped two objects from the Leaning Tower of Pisa to prove his theory.

Read about Galileo Galilei.

Try the Galileo thought experiment.

Click here (2248 K .avi movie) to see and hear Apollo 15 Astronaut David Scott perform Galileo’s experiment on the Moon.

Intergalactic Party – Theory of Relativity

You are invited to an intergalactic party to help celebrate Einstein’s 1905 special Theory of Relativity! Thanks to Einstein, we Earthlings have a new understanding of of time and space. The party is on Epsilon Eridani 3, the third planet orbiting the star Epsilon Eridani, and only 10 light years away. Click here for your invitation. The challenge is to get there…Try not to be late! Rev up your spaceship and join in the galactic bash. Share the site with your mentor/ee, and see if she can get there on time, too! Will she have enough fuel to make it home again?

Think Like Einstein

Ask your mentor to tell you a bit about Albert Einstein. In 1905, when he was only twenty-six years old, Einstein presented some amazing ideas, which changed the way we view our world. Does your mentor know which of Einstein’s theories tells us that time travel, or at least moving forward in time, is possible?
For an extra challenge, visit www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/time/think.html and see if you can think like Einstein.

Science of Extreme Sports

Try some virtual snowboarding, kayaking, rock climbing or mountain biking and learn about the science of extreme sports while you play. You will need to download Macromedia Shockwave Player (for free) if you don’t already have it on your computer. The instructions at the site will direct you. Note that the activity may not work properly with the Firefox Browser, but does work with Internet Explorer.

Each sport has training sessions and practice runs. You do not have to register to use the site. Just click on Quick Play and you can start. How do your scores compare to your mentor’s scores? Have fun!

Science of Olympic Sports

Have you ever wondered about the science behind some of the Olympic sports? How Stuff Works is a fantastic website with information that everyone should know about! Simple explanations ranging from everyday examples around the home to the most advanced airplanes in the world. Here are some of the Winter Olympic-related topics you can explore:
Luge
Bobsledding
Hockey
Ice Rinks
Olympic Timing
Olympic Torches
Muscles

The Physics of Soccer – Soccer Game Challenge

Try this fun miniature soccer game. There are photos and explanations of how to create your own miniature game and learn about “bending the ball”. Check out these other links about the physics behind soccer.

* Bernoulli’s Principle
* More scientific research on ball curling
* Soccer ball physics
* More physics of soccer

Urine turns pee into power

News report – what an amazing idea!

The Trebuchet Challenge

Custom-build an online siege engine to take on three challenges (distance, accuracy and power)

Fraction Too Much Friction

Can you push the pencil into the jar? Activity

Antimatter: Mirror of the Universe

What is antimatter? Where is it made and how is it part of our lives?